Freedom of Expression
by Disciple of Ember
Summary: Inspiration can come from any number of places. It can be from friends, rivals, or total strangers. Sometimes though, it can come from the last person you'd expect.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Katawa Shoujo or any of the characters**

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><p>Hanako was not someone who dealt well with being caught unprepared. Be it unexpected social interaction, an uncomfortable turn in conversation, or merely having the attention put on her without warning were all things that typically made her want to flee the scene. This time however, escape wouldn't come so easily.<p>

The situation had started out innocently enough. Class had ended and she and Hisao had met up. They'd been planning to join Lilly in the tea room today and catch up on recent events. Ever since he'd joined the art club his attendance to their get-togethers had been sporadic at best. It was kind of strange, but she missed his presence more than she thought she would have when he couldn't make it.

Not that she was ever left wanting for company. Lilly was always there to speak with or play chess against. Still, she couldn't help but be a little let down whenever he said he couldn't make it.

Things were looking up until he'd suddenly stopped, smacking himself in the forehead and coming to the realization that he'd been forgetting something. Apparently he had a project he needed to finish for his art club by Friday. He'd asked if they could stop by the art room so that he could pick up some supplies to bring back with him, and Hanako had agreed after only a moment's hesitation. She didn't want to leave Lilly waiting too long, but there couldn't be that much harm in just a couple minute's delay right?

Wrong. She'd been left waiting outside the classroom that the club was hosted in as Hisao disappeared inside, saying he'd only be a second. Apparently the two of them had very different definitions of "a second".

She'd waited patiently enough, tapping the tip of her foot against the floor tiles in a soft pattern. It had all been perfectly fine until the floodgates had opened up. Almost all at once, students had started filling the halls all around her. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem, but being separated from both Lilly and Hisao made the sudden onset of people much more jarring.

She'd held out for as long as she could, pressing herself discreetly to one side and doing her best to avoid drawing attention. After a while though, the noise and press of humanity had simply become unbearable. She'd hurried inside the classroom as quickly and quietly as she could. Maybe she could help Hisao find those supplies and the two of them could be off quicker. That's what she'd been thinking until she turned around to realize that she wasn't the only one here, and the other person was most certainly not Hisao.

She'd gasped at the unexpected presence, putting a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. At first she'd mistaken the person for a male student, wearing a boy's uniform as well as a pair of loose fitting pants that were stained with a multitude of colored paints around the hems. That had been remedied quickly enough. There was only one person she knew of who this could be.

It was Rin, the redheaded, armless painter that Hisao had often spoken of when questioned about his time in the art club. From the description he'd given, she didn't sound like the kind of person Hanako would have relished meeting alone in a slightly dim room.

She was stuck between a metaphorical rock and a hard place. At her back was the flowing river of the student body, equally smothering and deafening to those who couldn't navigate their turbulent waters. At her front was someone whom Hisao had called "the single most vexing human being he'd ever met".

As of yet, Rin hadn't noticed her. The painter was seated in front of an easel, grasping a brush between her toes and adding smooth, almost lazy lines to the developing piece. Over a dozen paint cans were arranged around her in a semicircle. If she wanted, Hanako could likely slip back outside without ever being noticed.

She was very tempted to do just that. Pressing her ear to the door, she checked to see if the coast was clear. She couldn't help but cringe when she realized it most certainly was not. If anything, it sounded like it had gotten even louder on the other side than it had been just a moment ago.

With a silent sigh and a slump of her shoulders, the timid girl turned back to the working artist.

And very nearly leapt right out of her skin.

Having thought her presence had gone unnoticed, Hanako was entirely unprepared to find Rin staring at her with a blank expression as she turned back around. She had to bite back a scream, instinctively reaching for the door handle only to realize why she was in here in the first place.

Shutting her eyes, she focused on her breathing. It was fine. She could deal with one person. She'd be fine. Just breathe. Nice and calm.

After a few seconds of mental fortification, she opened her eyes once again and braced herself. Rin's gaze hadn't left, still resting evenly on her all through the display. Hanako shied away from it slightly, tilting her head away in an automatic gesture to hide the scarring that encompassed the right side of her face.

After enduring the unflinching scrutiny for another brief span, she began to realize that Rin wasn't staring at her scars. It might have been a stretch to claim that Rin was even staring at _her _at all. The girl's half lidded eyes were gazing flatly in her general direction, not really focusing on any detail in particular. She looked almost like she was about to fall asleep.

The two of them continued the silent standoff for at least another thirty seconds before Hanako worked up the nerve to break it.

"H-Hello…?" She ventured.

Rin blinked once, and only once.

"Hello." She answered, seeming to focus just a little bit harder on the dark haired girl in front of her. They lapsed once again into silence. Realizing that the painter had no intention of speaking, Hanako was once again forced to take the lead.

"I'm looking for… Hisao…" She said, fidgeting under the strange attention.

"He's in back." Rin replied, gesturing vaguely towards a door on the opposite side of the room with the paintbrush held in her toes. "Said he was looking for something. Supplies maybe. Inspiration. Justification. Explanation."

She paused, her expression taking on a faraway quality as though lost in thought.

"I could use some of those." She said to nobody in particular. "Explanations are hard to find."

When her tense partner made no move to answer, she apparently lost interest in the exchange and turned back to her unfinished project. Hanako breathed out a sigh of relief at the dismissal. She wasn't sure what to make of Rin, but moving her day along felt like a much better option than discussing the whereabouts of concepts and ideas.

She started to make her way to the back room, giving the working artist a fairly wide berth, only to stop a moment later when the painting caught her eye. She hadn't really been focused on it at first, but now that she didn't have a pair of emerald eyes fixing her to the spot, she couldn't help but look.

It was strange. That was probably the best word to describe the image. A mixture of cool colors such as blue, green, and just a splash of purple were all arranged across the pale white background of the canvas. There didn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to the design, but at the same time none of it felt out of place. It was an almost harmonious chaos of color.

As she watched, Rin dipped her brush into a nearby can of orange paint. Bringing the newly wetted brush up near the top of her painting, she cut a bright swath of vibrant paint across the formerly serene design. _That_ felt out of place. Hanako actually felt a little sad that she'd just damaged the piece in such a way.

Her disappointment didn't last long. Rin brought the paintbrush down to the can once again, scraping off the excess that was left over on its rim. Once she was satisfied, she raised up the brush and began making a series of rapid, light brushes along the edges of the new line. Hanako stood in silent wonder as she expertly blended the orange paint with the rest of the piece. The harsh edges ceased to exist, being replaced by a hazy outline that mixed both bright and dark color until it was impossible to tell where one started and the other ended.

It no longer felt out of place. Instead of a clashing line that damaged the observer's concentration, it had become a focal point, drawing them in and guiding them along the rest of the paper. Had she not seen it done she doubted she would have believed such a simple action could cause such a noticeable transformation.

"What is it?"

The question left Hanako's mouth before she'd even realized she was speaking. Quickly raising a hand to her mouth, she desperately wished she could snatch the words back out of the air before they were heard. No such luck.

"A painting." Came Rin's automatic response. Hanako felt heat rush into her face. It was impossible to tell if the artist was mocking her thanks to her entirely neutral tone. Fighting off embarrassment, she decided to work under the assumption that it had been an honest answer.

"I-I mean… what's it a painting of…?" She asked lightly. No answer came at first. Right as she started to think Rin hadn't heard her, the redhead leaned back in her chair, eliciting a wooden groan from the furniture, and cast her a sidelong glance.

"What are your words of?" Rin questioned, her voice keeping with the same unemotional feeling.

Hanako didn't know how to respond. Hugging her arms to her midsection self-consciously she struggled to find an answer to the odd question.

"I don't know what you mean…" She said at last, settling for the safest route.

"You asked what my painting was of." Rin clarified, stretching her legs out while she spoke. "I asked you the same thing. Your words. Can you tell me what they're of?"

If anything, the explanation made her feel even more confused.

"I-I don't think it's the same thing…" She said, shifting her weight to her left side.

"Sure it is." There was something different in Rin's tone now. It was too subtle to tell exactly what, but it was there. "Painting is talking without all the talking parts."

Hanako almost felt the need to point out that talking without talking was just sitting in silence, but decided against it. There was no sense in trying to argue the point, and she felt that she'd had enough of the discussion anyway. Edging forwards once again, she started towards the back door.

"Help me out." Rin said suddenly, causing her to jump. "I need more green. Mix some blue and yellow. This is a delicate time and I need to focus."

Hanako gaped, having frozen in place at the artist's demand. It took her several moments to realize that she was entirely serious when she told her to help.

"B-But you've got three different types of green already…" She objected, nodding towards the open tins that were still filled with the aforementioned color. Rin spared them only a cursory examination before dismissing them with a shake of her head.

"Not green enough." She stated flatly. "Or too green. One of those. Either way, not right."

She waved a foot impatiently, never taking her eyes off the painting in front of her. Hanako couldn't help but feel trapped. All she wanted to do was find Hisao and get out of here, but Rin didn't seem to care about that. With no small amount of reluctance, she edged forwards until she was able to reach the blue and yellow paint cans. Drawing them to one side, she found a small mixing bowl and realized something very important.

She had no idea what she was doing.

Looking up to Rin for guidance was no help either. The redhead was staring intently at her work, as though she could piece together all the mysteries of the world if she looked hard enough. Gulping visibly, Hanako came to terms with the fact that she'd have to find the right shade of green with no direction at all.

She started by tipping a moderate amount of yellow into the bowl. The process was painstakingly slow as she tried to ensure that not even a single drop was wasted. Once she had enough, she replaced the tin with a sigh of relief. She took a quick peek upwards to find that Rin still wasn't paying her any mind.

Drawing forward the blue paint, she hesitated as she lifted it above the pool of yellow. This was where things got tricky. How was she meant to tell how much was too much? What if she got it wrong? Would Rin get angry at her? She didn't think she'd be able to deal with someone else's anger right now.

She began to tip the can forwards, a little at a time until the paint began to build up around the edges. All at once, the blue pigment flooded over the tiny lip and into the bowl. Hanako jerked backwards, fearing the worst as the rush of paint was added. After a moment she realized that the amount of blue that was added was so miniscule that it had almost no effect.

Blushing at her own overreaction, she began adding more to the mix. When she had what she thought was a good balance, she stopped pouring and hesitated.

"Um… W-What do I stir it with…?" She asked hesitantly, only half expecting a response.

Her answer came in the form of a head movement as Rin gestured towards several wooden objects that looked like oversized popsicle sticks. Hanako picked one up, briefly wondering what the name for such a tool was. She decided it didn't matter all that much. Its purpose was clear enough, so she dipped it into the swirling mass of yellow and blue and began to swirl them together.

It took a little while until the colors were mixed to her satisfaction, but she eventually turned the pool of paint into a smooth green. It was light, bordering on yellow still, but hopefully Rin would find it to her liking.

"Is this… good…?" She asked, holding up the bowl for inspection. Her peculiar overseer tore her eyes away from the painting long enough to get a good look at the new shade. She was silent for several moments, causing Hanako more and more discomfort as she dissected the mixture with her gaze.

Instead of answering out loud, she reached forwards and dipped her paintbrush into the green and started painting once again. Unsure of what to do, Hanako held the container steady and decided she had no choice but to sit back and watch her work.

She didn't know how long she kept that position. Her knees were starting to get sore from resting on them for so long, but Rin showed no signs of slowing down. In an attempt to distract herself form the discomfort and the unpleasant situation, she began to focus on watching the emerging piece of artwork rather than its creator.

The more she watched, the more she became intrigued by how the colors meshed together into one flowing design. There didn't seem to be any one point that captured the eye, but rather several dozen that flowed along at a pleasant pace. There was a certain slow moving energy to it.

Several moments passed before Hanako realized that Rin had stopped painting and was now looking at her again.

She tensed as her mind immediately doubled back on itself in an attempt to find out what she'd done to draw the attention. Had she made a mistake somehow? Did Rin take offense to her staring? It wasn't like there was much else to look at, but she had no idea whether that mattered to the painter or not.

Rin tapped her paintbrush against the bowl several times, drawing Hanako's attention downwards. It was then that she saw what the problem was.

"It's gone." Rin stated unnecessarily. She kept her expectant gaze fixed on the girl kneeling down in front of her as she did so.

"All right…" Hanako offered, retrieving the paint cans once again. "I can… make some more I guess…"

She kept her head down as she worked, pouring out the colors once again. It was much easier this time as she knew both what to expect and how much to add. Before long, she'd whipped up a new batch of green, ready to be added to the canvas.

Same as before, Rin didn't acknowledge the completion of the job out loud, instead opting to get right back to work as soon as the desired material was made available.

Strangely enough, Hanako found that she didn't mind all that much. The lack of conversation made it less strenuous for her. She didn't feel like words were being forced between her and a near stranger merely to fill the silence.

Instead she was able to sit back and watch the estranged artist work. It was an oddly soothing experience to see the blank page being transformed little by little into something else entirely.

Maybe coming in here hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

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><p>Hisao let out a weary sigh of relief as he finally got all his supplies together. A couple weeks ago he'd never have thought that there could be so many different kinds of paper, each one used for a different medium of art. Of course, the one he needed was right at the back of the supply closet buried underneath massive stacks of other sheets. It had taken him absolute ages to move everything out of the way without causing a paper avalanche.<p>

At least he had what he needed now. Hopefully Hanako wouldn't be too upset with him for making him wait so long. If they hurried, the two of them could still meet Lilly in time for tea.

Carefully holding his supplies with one arm and using the other to turn the doorknob, he stepped back into the main room. The sight that greeted him was one of the strangest he'd seen in a very long time.

Rin was still sitting at her easel, the same place she'd been when he'd passed by. He'd offered her a greeting at the time but she'd been too into her work to respond with anything other than a nod. He hadn't been bothered, having long since grown used to her inconsistent speech. What really stood out to him was the person sitting next to her.

Hanako was kneeling beside the working painter, holding a bowl of paint up and watching her work with an intent expression on her face. Every now and then Rin would turn and dip her paintbrush into the bowl, making it clear that the timid girl was helping her.

Hisao couldn't help but wonder if he'd hit his head somewhere along the way.

Deciding to work under the assumption that this was real and not some concussion related delusion, he gently cleared his throat to draw Hanako's attention. He got no reaction at first, but the second time she gave a start. Looking for all the world like she'd just woken from some sort of daze, she turned very suddenly to see him.

"Hisao…!" She said, sounding like she'd just been caught doing something wrong. "I… I was just… Uh…"

"Helping Rin paint?" He asked, earning a shaky nod and a mumbled reply. He wanted to ask what had been going on while he was in the back, but judging by Hanako's look of discomfort he doubted it would be a good idea.

"Well, I've got what I needed." He said, deciding to drop the subject. "We'll have to hurry if we want to meet up with Lilly though. I'm not sure how much time is left before the bell. I mean, unless you're busy of course."

Color flooded her features and she looked up to Rin hesitantly. The painter was currently staring motionless at her work, wearing a glazed expression. If she was paying attention to the conversation at all, she wasn't showing it.

"Um…" Hanako began, trying to work up the nerve to draw her attention. "I need to go… so… do you think…?"

"That's fine." Rin said, placing her paintbrush to the side and standing up. She stretched her back out, causing it to crack loudly. "I think I have to go too. I feel empty."

Hisao raised an eyebrow at that. Given who was talking it could mean any number of things, but judging by what time it was she was probably just saying she was hungry.

"Emi was headed up to the roof again the last time I saw her." He offered. "She should still be up there if you're looking for lunch."

She turned her gaze to the window, pausing thoughtfully as if she were contemplating whether or not lunch was the thing she was after. Eventually she merely shrugged and started getting her things together.

Hisao had to suppress a chuckle. He could never decide if he loved or hated that shrug.

"You want to get going?" He asked, turning to Hanako. She nodded quickly, setting down the bowl of paint and getting back up on her feet. There was a fair amount of relief on her face, but she also looked slightly down. Once again, Hisao found himself wondering just what had happened.

"I-I'm ready." She said. Without further delay, the two of them started heading for the door. As they passed by, he caught a glimpse of the painting out of the corner of his eye.

It was difficult to tell what Rin's works were at the best of times, but if he had to guess he'd say it looked almost like a landscape. There were rolling hills of green with a strangely purple and blue skyline, almost like a late afternoon. However, instead of a simple river cutting across the scene, there was a streak of orange that looked to be melting outwards from the surrounding terrain.

All in all he had no idea what to make of it. A rather familiar feeling.

A light tug at his sleeve caused him to turn away from examining the piece to find Hanako shifting in place and not quite meeting his eyes.

"Um… Hisao…?" She began. "Do you think… maybe… I could try coming to the art club some time…?"


End file.
